Smokeless tobaccos are products that are orally consumed without subjecting the product to combustion. These products are manufactured in a variety of forms including chewing tobacco, dry snuff and moist snuff. Generally, these types of products are made as follows with the steps being in no particular order: cutting or grinding the tobacco into a suitable size; dipping or spraying the tobacco with a casing solution; partially drying the cased tobacco; holding the tobacco in containers for a period of time; and packaging it.
Chewing tobacco is typically sold in one of three forms: a “plug” where the tobacco is compressed into one of any number of shapes; “twists”, where leaves are entwined into a rope-shaped product; and loose, leafy chewing tobacco where it is presented in an envelop-like container. Plugs typically have a moisture content around 15% or less by volume for “hard” plugs and greater than 15% for “soft” plugs. Twists and loose, leafy material are typically lower in moisture.
As stated previously, snuffs typically are marketed as either “dry” or “moist”. Dry snuffs are generally finely ground, almost powdery, and typically have moisture contents around 8%. Moist snuffs, which typically have about 40 to 60% moisture content can have a variety of particle sizes depending on the product.
Chewing tobacco and snuffs are often treated with a variety of flavors to help diminish some of the less desired taste characteristics sometimes associated with the tobacco base. For example, oral use of tobacco typically induces the production of saliva and the resulting “tobacco juice” can sometimes have an unpleasant bitter taste. Flavors are often added to overcome these taste characteristics. Accordingly, a need exists in the market place for a smokeless tobacco-based product that can provide oral tobacco satisfaction while diminishing or eliminating the less desired taste characteristics sometimes associated therewith.